vibram five fingers news, reviews, and fan forums

Have you heard? Topo Athletic, the company Tony Post ("Topo") founded after leaving Vibram USA, is launching two new models in the coming months ? the Topo Athletic ST (hitting imminently and just now available for pre-order) and the Topo Athletic MT.

Notably, neither of these new models has the "split-toe" Tabi design of the original three Topo Athletic shoes (See the RR review here and an overview of the original Topo models here).

The split-toe, being so distinctive, really set the originals apart from other running shoes. So where did it go? What does it mean? To find out, I talked to Tony about the launch. You can read more (and see the split-toe-less ... er ... traditional-toe-boxed shoes) after the jump!

fake fingers!

Lems Shoes rounded out their 2013 line-up (Previously from Lems on BirthdayShoes: the Primal 2, my personal favorite, The Mariner, and the Boulder Boot) with a solution to the age-old barefoot/minimalist shoe wearer's quintessential conundrum: what "barefoot shoes" can I get away with wearing to work? I'm talking about their aptly named "Nine2Five."

UPDATE 6/10/2014 &MDASH; In mid-2014 Lems released the black Nine2Fiveis and upgraded versions of the Coffee & Cream Nine2Fives. Basically, they're shinier and a bit more premium-looking than the photos below may lead you to believe. You should be sure to check out the new photos here. Teaser:

Back to the original review: Lems sent me a pair of the brown or "coffee & cream" Nine2Fives to try out and review for BirthdayShoes, so I've been wearing my pair fairly regularly now for the past 2-3 months and below are my thoughts (and photos!).

Vivo Barefoot released several new models in 2013 and being the owner of many Vivo shoes, I was excited to have the opportunity to test out the new "One," and thanks to Vivo Barefoot sending me a pair to test, that's what I'll be doing today.

I was curious to see how the Ones would stack up against my existing lineup of Vivo Barefoot shoes, and having worn them everyday for a few weeks now, I can safely say these might be my new favorite style from Vivo Barefoot.

What does "membership" mean? Becoming a member of LeftLane is basically just signing up to receive emailed deals. It is as simple as providing basic info (name/email) and there are no strings attached (no fees to join). You can quit the email list at any time.

What styles of FiveFingers can you pick up with this sale, you ask? For men they've got KMD Sports, SeeYa, SeeYa LS, Bikilas, and KSOs. For women, they've got KMD Sport, Jaya LR, Bikila, and Classics.

Xero Shoes has started teasing their impending release of the Xero Shoes Sensori Venture, an out-of-the-box ready, huaraches-inspired design that takes the guesswork out of tying a pair of everyone's-favorite-barefoot-sandals, employing a wholly new lace configuration.

Well, I'm happy to throw fuel to the fire as I've snapped a slew of photos of the Sensori Ventures to share with you via a "preview" today thanks to Steven shooting me an early pair to check out. Soon, we'll have a full review from James, our veritable huaraches (and Xero Shoes) expert!

As my oldest daughter's feet grow, her options for kids minimalist/barefoot?healthy?shoes increase. Unfortunately, the number of not-so-healthy, heavy, and clunky shoes also increase (Avi's four-year-old friends all have light up shoes, which generally are anything but light?and mommy and daddy recently cavedgranted her birthday wish and got her a pair).

Today I'll be reviewing my 4 year-old's Vivo Barefoot Rootys. VivoBarefoot sent the BirthdayShoes household a pair of size 25 (US size 9) Rootys a few months back for Avi to try out and "review" (via me!). The short of it is that they are a great choice and have held up well to kid-sized wear and tear.

birthdayshoes [about] is dedicated to feet, which is to say barefeet, or feet as they were designed to be—unshod and free! As a way to foster foot freedom, birthday shoes is spreading the word about toe shoes — Vibram Five Fingers — the ground-breaking "barefoot shoes" or "foot gloves" that allow wearers to roam the earth as [Your Belief System] intended. Free your feet!

Note: This site is not owned, operated, or otherwise affiliated with Vibram or Vibram FiveFingers. The site is intended for entertainment purposes only. Per FTC regulation, it should be assumed that products reviewed on BirthdayShoes were provided to the blogger(s) for free or at discounted cost. Though this is certainly not always the case, we'd rather be in compliance with FTC rules & regulations governing bloggers and product reviews under the assumed "most biased" letter of the law. That said, if it's not immediately obvious, this site is a fan site for minimalist footwear such as Vibram Five Fingers, which is to say that there is a stated bias in favor of these products. Despite our stated bias, between the hundreds of user-submitted stories, the thousands of forum posts (both positive and negative, warts and all!), and the in-depth resources and guides, we do our best to provide in depth information on all products reviewed. In the end, though we strive to be a helpful resource and believe in integrity and honesty, we expect you to do your part — reading the research and making educated decisions (Read: take responsibility for your actions!). We have also passed on reviewing products (not VFFs per se) that were provided to us for free but did not "cut the mustard." If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact us!